Five people who will shape the ACC

Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State

To hear Ponder tell it, he’s pretty much a system quarterback. “The offense that Coach (Jimbo) Fisher has implemented has given me a lot of control, and with this offense there’s no real bad decision you can make,” he says. “There’s a lot of guys who are open all the time. It’s really easy on me, you know? I don’t have a hard job.” To hear others tell it, though, the senior is a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy coming off an injury-shortened season in which he completed 68.8 percent of his passes. “I know what he’s turned into,” Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer says. “Experience is a wonderful thing.”

Jacory Harris, QB, Miami

Ask any of Harris’ teammates what stands out about the junior , and they’ll sing the same song: “He never gets rattled in big situations,” defensive end Allen Bailey says. “He has great composure in the pocket regardless of what’s going on around him, what quarter it is, what down it is .” That composure must be there early—in back-to-back nonconference games at Ohio State (No. 2 in SN’s preseason poll) and at Pitt (No. 19)—as the Hurricanes try to establish themselves as national title contenders.

Mike London, coach, Virginia

He left his alma mater, Richmond, to take over at Virginia, where he was an assistant for six seasons. The task: turning around a program coming off a three-win season and with one bowl appearance in the past four years. That process started with a focus on relationships with his players, his coaches, the fans and the community. “He’s such a down-to-earth guy,” Virginia quarterback Marc Verica says. “That’s important, to have that kind of relaxed relationship with your coach where you don’t see him as this detached, untouchable figure. He’s just right there with you. That’s a special skill that he has.”

Russell Wilson, QB, N.C. State

He’ll continue to balance his love for football and baseball—as he has for years. “I’m just trying to be great in whatever I try to do, whatever sport I’m playing,” Wilson says . “With football, we want to win an ACC championship. Why not this year?” Wilson returned to football despite being drafted in the fourth round by the Rockies. Considering Wilson ranks fifth in school history in career passing yards and third in passing touchdowns after two seasons, his decision was not pleasant news around the ACC.

Mark Herzlich, LB, Boston College

The best story in college football is ready to get back on the field. Herzlich, the 2008 ACC defensive player of the year, missed all of 2009 with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. But he now is cancer-free and medically cleared to resume his all-out attacking style.

“Everyone is going to want to compare this year to 2008, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do, too,” he says. “When I look back at it and say, ‘How’d it go?,’ it could be OK and it could be great, but it can’t be bad because I’ll be back out there. That said, I don’t see any reason I can’t be as good as I was in 2008.”

Eight predictions from Matt Hayes

1. Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson’s option offense, criticized as out of date in the BCS world, will lead the nation in rushing behind new B- back Anthony Allen.

2. Since the conference expanded to 12 teams, the ACC has dreamed of a Florida State-Miami matchup in the league championship game. It will finally come to fruition this year, the first time the game will be played in Charlotte.

3. N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien, working with a new chancellor and athletic director, will save his job by getting the Wolfpack back to the postseason.

4. Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder will show so much improvement and polish that he’ll be the first quarterback picked in the 2011 NFL draft.

5. It will be the last year in College Park for the Fridge. Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen, who won 31 games in his first three years and 35 in the next six, has a new athletic director and is coming off a two-win season.

6. Wake Forest’s Kenny Okoro is a little bigger (6-0, 195) and a little faster than former Deacons star cornerbacks Alphonso Smith and Brandon Ghee—and by the end of the season, he’ll be better than both.

7. Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich will be the story of the ACC as he returns from battling a rare form of cancer to reclaim the league’s defensive player of the year award.

8. A loss at Miami will keep Virginia Tech, king of the league since it expanded to 12 teams, from the ACC championship game for the second straight season.

3 more predictions from …

Former NFL TE Rick “Doc” Walker: QB Tyrod Taylor could deliver an ACC title to Virginia Tech. “The amount of sacks that Tyrod Taylor avoids makes him special. While the average guy is sacked, he’s eluding people and throwing downfield. This guy is invaluable because he saves plays. If he continues to develop as a passer, Virginia Tech will be very difficult to beat.”

Former Florida State and NFL QB Peter Tom Willis: An improved defense will help the Seminoles reach 10 wins for the first time since 2003.

“Offensively, the pieces are there. Last year was probably the worst defense we’ve had in a really long time in Tallahassee. I think you’re going to see a different type of defense, with more zone, that will bend, not break. Realistically, this is a team that could win 10 games.”

Former North Carolina and NFL LB Buddy Curry: Tar Heels QB T.J. Yates will reach his potential. “This will be a bounceback year for T.J. Yates. This past year he wasn’t as productive as you’d like, but he’s got all the tools. He’s got a good arm, he’s smart, he’s big enough, and he can take the hits out there.”